What Happened Nineteen Years Later
by Adarsh.dashar
Summary: The Shrieking Shack was eerie and sent shivers down Albus' spine. There was a sense of foreboding, and he wanted to be back at the comfortable, warm Gryffindor common room. But, Scorpious and Rose were already climbing up the crumbling staircase, cautious
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Albus stared at his parents out of his carriage window, feeling a little sad, as they slowly disappeared out of view. He watched Rose dragging her trunk inside and dumping it in a corner. He followed suit and they chose seats facing each other, both sporting exciting looks.

'We are on our way at last', Rose cried after a moment's silence.

'Yeah, it's unbelievable' agreed Albus, and added in an undertone. 'I really hope to get sorted into Gryffindor.'

'I don't have any doubts where I'll get sorted into. The Weasleys have been in Gryffindor for centuries. The Potters are no exception, either,' Rose assured him.

'Do you what Dad told me? The Sorting Hat takes our opinion under consideration as well- '

'- Mom told me that, a long while ago', Rose cut in with a superior tone.

At that very instant, the compartment door opened and a nervous looking boy, seemingly a first year, peered inside. 'Can I sit here? I'm a first year, and can't find a empty anywhere.'

'Join us', invited Rose at once.

'I'm Wayne Wallace' the boy said, extending his hand.

Rose shook hands and told their names. Wayne's face registered a look of awe as he took their names in. 'You are Harry Potter's son'.

Albus nodded noncommittally. He was used to people gaping when they learned this. Rose was curious about Wayne's background. And, he told them that he was from Muggle heritage. From the sound of it, Albus surmised, Wayne was far more overjoyed at the prospect of Hogwarts. They chatted along for a while happily, sharing some tidbits, stuff they had heard from their parents, with Wayne. He kept mouthing words like 'Wow' and 'Blimey'. His enthusiasm was infectious and Albus took a liking to him.

The food trolley interrupted this chatter, and Rose buried her hands into her clothes and pulled a couple of galleons. She came back, her arms loaded with Chocolate Frogs, Beattie's Every Flavour Beans, Cauldron Cakes, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Licorice Wands and Mintballs. The three of them tucked in hungrily. Wayne unwrapped his chocolate frog and found a Harry Potter card inside. A photo of Harry was waving at him. He turned the card around.

'Harry Potter, renowned for his survival against the Dark Lord at the height of his powers, when he was only a baby, was heralded as The Boy Who Lived. He thwarted the Dark Lord's attempts to murder him many times, and finally killed him in a legendary duel, fought at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The entire wizarding world showed their gratification to Mr. Potter by honoring him. He now holds the office of Head Auror in the Ministry. Harry Potter is happily married to Ginny Weasley, and the couple has three children. He is said to enjoy playing Quidditch and he has also won the prestigious Triwizard Tournament.'

'Hey, look whose card I found!' he cried.

Rose looked over and threw a handful of Chocolate Frog cards at him. Soon, Wayne was busy poring over Remus Lupin, Barty Crouch, Severus Snape and Nicolas Flamel, reading with interest and took no part in conversation for some time.

It was some time before he turned his attention to the actual bean. It was an ugly grey colour. But, Wayne took a bite, looking a little wary. He immediately spat it, wearing an expression, which made the other two burst with laughter. 'Wayne, when they say Every Flavor, they mean it. I bet, from your expression, it was wax you tasted,' said Albus.

The compartment door opened for a second time as Albus' brother, James entered with a couple of boys in tail. They had changed into their school robes, already. 'Ah, there's my ickle little brother; my cousin Rose is here, as well,' he exclaimed to his friends. 'Meet Damon and Zack', he said to Albus and Rose. 'You seem to have made friends already,' with a glance towards Wayne.

'You three must be the only ones, who haven't changed into your robes. Hogwarts is due in five minutes. You are gonna get into trouble,' he said and laughed at Albus and Wayne's anxious looks.

Rose, however, looked unperturbed. 'He is just pulling your legs. Mom told me to look out for Hogsmeade and we haven't even passed the village'. She was glaring at James, who merely gave a scathing look at Rose and turned a to Albus. 'I've mentioned about you to some of my Slytherin friends. Be sure to say hello to them when you meet them in the Slytherin common room.' Roaring with laughter, he beckoned his friends into the next compartment.

Albus became thoughtful again as he mulled over what his brother had said. 'C'mon, don't become moody again. You'll surely be sorted into Gryffindor. Let's change into our school robes, just in case.'

Night fell, as the train raced past fields and cows. Soon, the train reached Hogsmeade, which Rose had mentioned. The excitement level was reaching a feverish pitch and even Rose started to fidget. And finally, the trained groaned to a halt. The three of them took their respective trunks and owl cages, and climbed down. Hundreds of students were getting downing and there were lots of shouting and yelling.

Firs' years! Firs' years over here,' a booming voice could be heard over the din.

'There's Hagrid,' Rose said happily. She dragged both Albus and Wayne over to Hagrid.

'Yeh alright, Rose,' beamed Hagrid. 'And yeh too, Albus, remind me a lot of Harry, you do. I can still remember him standing forlornly during his first year.'

All the first years followed Hagrid through a narrow path, surrounded by thickets on both sides. After a short walk, they reached a side of an enormous lake. And perched on top of a mountain, on its side, rose Hogwarts castle, majestically. They could see arrays of boats lined across the bank. Hagrid called loudly that four students should get into each boat.

A petite girl, wearing a nervous look joined Albus, Rose and Wayne in a boat. After Rose had made their names known, the girl introduced herself as Abigail Evans. And, all four looked at the castle, as it loomed closer. Suddenly, they reached a sort of dark tunnel, and they had to duck their heads. After a while, they reached a harbour, and clamored over the boats into rocks and pebbles.

Hagrid waited for all the boats to disembark and ordered everyone to follow him to the castle. Soon, they came along a pathway, which led them to a large oak door. Hagrid knocked thrice, and it was opened by a careworn man.

'That must be Mr. Bumble, the caretaker,' whispered Rose.

'James told me he is a vampire-,' started Albus.

Rose cut across him, clearly not swallowing this piece of information, though Albus and Wayne looked a tad scared.

'Follow me, you lot,' he grunted, and they followed him to a door, which he threw open to reveal the Entrance Hall.

Albus' first impression was, it was too large. Despite having heard about it, he was surprised at its grandeur. Nearby, Wayne was also drinking in his first look at the Entrance Hall.

The enchanted ceiling (Rose was informing this to anyone who would listen), the thousands and thousands of candles, the golden goblets in the four long tables, where the respective house students were seated, everything was simply splendid.

'Fall in line,' a curt voice resonated, and a woman, calling herself Professor Dorothy, escorted them inside. She then gave them some general instructions and asked them to come forward, when their name was called out.

The Sorting Hat sat in a stool, placed in the centre of the Hall. Albus noted that its brim looked slightly charred, and knew Voldemort had set fire to it during the war. After the Hat finished singing, the whole Hall broke into applause. Professor Dorothy came forward and took a parchment.

'Adams, Lee!'

A boy, having blond hair, walked over to the stool, and Professor Dorothy placed the hat over his head.

'RAVENCLAW!' shouted the hat.

The table second from the left erupted into applause. Lee took off the hat and joined that table, looking a little relieved.

'Anderson, Luke!'

'HUFFLEPUFF!'

Now, the table on the right clapped hard. And, Luke made his way there.

Professor Dorothy continued reading from the list, and still none had joined the Gryffindor table. Albus looked in his brother's direction, and thought he got an encouraging smile from James. He dismissed it as his imagination.

'Evans, Abigail!'

'GRYFFINDOR!'

The table on the far left exploded into cheers. Albus could see James wringing Abigail's hands. After a while,

'Malfoy, Scorpious!'

'SLYTHERIN!'

Albus watched a pale boy, with blond hair, making his way to the Slytherin table. When the O's were reached, Albus found his insides writhing. And, soon it was-

'Potter, Albus!'

A huge round of whispers started and people craned their necks to get a better look.

Albus walked dazedly and sat on the stool. The hat was placed on his head and he could see nothing but blackness.

'Hmm, another Potter, I can see lots of courage like your father. But, there is something special, as well. You have stout resilience like your mother. Interesting, I'm tempted to put you in Slytherin; you have the necessary qualities, you know. But, you, like your father before you, have made up your mind to land in Gryffindor. So be it- GRYFFINDOR!'

Utterly delighted and relieved, he made his way to the Gryffindor table, to earsplitting applause. He was greeted by James, and the Weasleys: Dominique, Roxanne and Victoire, warmly. He squeezed in between James, and watched the sorting in a different light now, as if a weight had been removed from him.

He watched Rose keeping a nonstop commentary for Wayne, who kept nodding out of politeness, and couldn't suppress a giggle.

The number of people slowly dwindled, and finally Wayne and Rose were the only ones left.

'Wallace, Wayne!'

'GRYFFINDOR!'

Wayne's joy was written all over his face, as he took a seat beside Albus. They both had their fingers crossed as Rose waded her way to the hat.

'GRYFFINDOR!'

Rose soon joined them at the Gryffindor table, looking positively delighted.

Now that the sorting was over, the Head Mistress Professor McGonagall stood, spoke for a minute, welcoming everyone back to Hogwarts.

As soon as she sat down, food started appearing out of nowhere in the gold plates and goblets. Albus became hungry all of a sudden and began tucking in. At his left, James was cheeking Victoire.

'Is the Head Girl missing her boyfriend?'

What do you mean?'

'Well, I saw Teddy snogging you at the platform,' James said slyly.

'Watch your words, Potter. I may put you in detention,' shot back Victoire.

'I'd like you to try. The whole castle might revolt against you.'

'Do you want me to know what Aunt Ginny asked me to do if you had a go at me, you brazen kid?'

The mention of his mother seemed to do the trick, as James immediately started talking about Quidditch. On Albus' right, Rose was spiritedly talking to Wayne about studies. 'I don't think six subjects are enough for us, do you?'

Albus made a mental reminder to prise Wayne away from Rose's care, a little. The poor boy was surely at a loss of words.

Once everyone had finished eating, the Head Mistress rose again and wished them all good night. The Gryffindors followed Victoire, and soon they were standing before the Fat Lady. "Ignotus", said Victoire and the portrait pulled back.  
They went inside, and Victoire showed the bedrooms for boys and girls. Albus and Wayne found their dorm and dumped their trunks in adjacent beds. Their roommates turned up in a little while, and introduced themselves as Andy Brown and Jason Parker.

They started unpacking their trunks, and arranged them. Albus placed a family photo near his bed, and immediately the other three clamored to have a look at the famous Harry and Ginny Potter.

Andy let out a low whistle. 'Is that your house, Al?' Albus nodded. Andy was pinning a poster of the Holyhead Harpies above his bedside.

'Your favourite team,' queried Wayne.

'Yeah, they are thirteenth in the league. My dad reckons the Harpies lost their winning touch, after your mom and Gwenog Jones left,' he said with some feeling. 'I heard your dad is also a good flier.'

Albus gave another nod. 'Yeah, Dad could have played for England, if he didn't join the ministry.'

Wayne yawned. 'C'mon guys, lets turn in. I cant move a feet. The food is so delicious here.'

The others agreed. The train journey had tired them a lot and they fell asleep in a few moments. Albus, however, took a parchment and wrote:

Dad,  
I also made it to Gryffindor! I'm so happy. Give my love to mom and Lily.

Al.

He folded it, attached it to his owl, Sorsha, and watched it soar out of the window, into the starry sky. Tired, but happy, he also threw himself into his bed, and fell asleep immediately.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Albus was feeling too lazy to get up from bed. But, the prospect of first day in Hogwarts stirred him, nevertheless. The four boys shared their background, while getting ready.

'I'm half and half. Wizard father and Muggle mother,' grinned Jason. 'We spend half the year in the Muggle world and the other half in the wizarding world!'

'My people are wizards,' confided Andy. 'They sorta hero-worshipped your dad, Al'. He winked at Albus.

They trouped out to the Hall for breakfast. Albus found Rose, already seated, engaging Abigail, the girl who had accompanied them in the boat.

'I wish we have charms today, Abby. My mom has taught me a lot of useful spells,' Rose was telling fervently. Abigail enquired when they would be getting their timetables.

'We'll receive them after breakfast. My-'

'-Mom told me,' finished James, who had joined them quietly. Everyone laughed and Rose went pink. 'Blimey, I'd really love to listen to Aunt Mione and you talking. My, it sure would be interesting,' said James sarcastically and went to find his cronies.

Albus was piling on some food into his plate, when he saw his owl flying towards him. It dropped a letter in front of him, and took off to the owlery. The letter was from his mother.

Dear Al,  
Dad and I are really glad for you. Lily is really missing you. She was feeling so lonely today that Dad had to take her to Hugo's place. Hope James is not troubling you much. Have a nice time, son.  
Love,  
Mum.

Feeling more delighted by the minute; Albus folded the letter and proceeded to eat. James seemed to have watched him receive the post, as he called out, 'Hey Al, did mom send you some tissues, in case you burst into tears.' He subsided quickly, when Rose fixed him with a murderous stare.

Rose seemed to be right, again, as their Head of House Professor Longbottom was handing out their timetables. He beamed at Albus and Rose. Albus pored over it, and saw that, they had Charms, Herbology, Defense Against Dark Arts and Potions that day.

Hoping nothing went bad for him the first day itself, Albus took his satchel, and beckoned for Wayne and Rose to come. Abigail also followed in Rose's wake. Roxanne Weasley gave them a thumps up. Saying goodbyes, the four made their way to their first ever class in Hogwarts.

Their Charms teacher was Professor Macmillan, who also acknowledged Albus and Rose, when he read the names from the register. They were taught the correct way to hold their wands, when they performed spells. Rose kept making impatient sounds, showing her disappointment. She had obviously expected a more lively start. After nearly half an hour had passed, Professor Macmillan pronounced himself satisfied, with their wand positions and started with a basic spell. 'Lumos'.

The Herbology period also went rather uneventfully. Professor Longbottom explained the names of some strange plants and fungi, their uses, and ways of taking care of them.

The Gryffindors went to the Defense Against Dark Arts class, looking a little apprehensively. The class trouped inside and their DADA teacher, Professor Slade, a youngish looking man, closed the door behind them.

Albus looked around the classroom. He found a cage with some ball like creatures he knew were called Puffskeins.

'My mom had one of those for a pet,' he whispered to Andy who was nearby.

'What happened to it?' responded Andy.

'James used it as a Bludger for Quidditch practice'. They both fought hard to stifle their giggles.

Rose threw them a disdainful look. Professor Slade was telling the class about the Puffskein. 'There are two types of Puffskeins. Can anyone tell me?'

'Pygmy Puff and Cannibal Puff,' Rose practically shouted in enthusiasm.

'Excellent,' commended Professor Slade. 'As Ms. Weasley correctly said, those are the two types. The Pygmy Puff is commonly used as a household pet. They are virtually harmless, quite cuddly and graded XX by the Ministry of Magic. But the Cannibal Puff, discovered only recently, is a dangerous breed. It is graded XXX by the Ministry, meaning only Competent Wizards Can Cope.'

'The Cannibal Puff contains a prickly coated skin, which tends to be hazardous, when it makes contact with other living beings. They may not be deadly, but still; the counter curse is actually quite and the reason why I've chosen it for our first class.  
The spell is Teressedo and its prickly surface vanishes and it becomes rather smooth, not unlike a Pygmy Puff. All you have to do is point your wand at the Puffskein and say the incantation.'

'Now, I'd ask two of you to practise on a Puffskein. If anyone gets stung by it, not to worry. I have its antidote.'

Albus partnered Andy to take on a Puffskein. Whether their Puffskein was overly sturdy or they were overly stupid, they never found out. They muttered the spell countless times, but the Puffskein continued to glare at them, seemingly unaffected.

By the end of the period, only Rose and Abby had managed to achieve an acceptable degree of smoothness on their Puffskein.  
A battered looking Andy, who had to take the antidote twice, grumbled to Albus. 'I'd prefer your brother's method any day. You only need a Beater's bat.'

Wayne, who also seemed to have fared along their lines against his Puffskein, joined them. 'Call this a first day. An essay on the basic plants and fungi and their uses for Longbottom. Now another essay on these goddamned Puffskeins. Wonder what awaits us in Potions,' he muttered.

They made their way to the dungeons. Though the passage wasn't pitch dark and it was lighted by torches at regular intervals, Rose couldn't resist the urge to try out her newly acquired spell and said 'Lumos'. The Gryffindors were joined soon by the Slytherin first years.

Scorpious Malfoy approached them and spent a considerable time watching his shoes, apparently wanting to say something, but not knowing how to start, while Albus watched him, rather apprehensively.

Finally, he put out his hand and said, 'I, er, want to apologize for all the things my father and grandfather have inflicted on your family.'

Albus, expecting something else, hadn't seen this coming. The apology was said somewhat awkwardly, but it did sound sincere. Albus shook his hands, still wary. But Rose was beaming, as if she was witnessing a world peace treaty. Scorpious grinned at both of them.

The Potions Master, the wizened old Professor Slughorn, chose this moment to enter, and everyone scrambled to a desk. Albus and Rose found themselves with Wayne and Scorpious.

Throughout the period, Scorpious was beside himself in an attempt to be friends. 'Considering the stuff Uncle George told me about the Malfoys, Scorpious doesn't seem to be bad,' Albus mused.

Rose and Scorpious were talking as if they had known each other for ages.

'I heard your mother's speech, stressing on elves rights, in the annual meeting of the Ministry,' gushed Scorpious. 'It was really stirring.'

'And, I have read your mother's columns in the Witch Weekly,' laughed Rose. 'Say, what do you usually indulge in, while at home?'

'I'm an only child. So I'm usually bored. You must have loads of relatives to play with, right?' Scorpious said, enviously.

'Yeah, I have many cousins to play with. You can come to our house to play with Al and me, if you wish. I don't think, our parents will mind.'

Albus snorted. He would have liked to see his Uncle Ron's expression, if he heard this. He continued adding the foul smelling Ashwinder eggs to his already wanna-make-you-puke potion. His potion didn't turn the bubbly pink, as the textbook had illustrated, but it was way better than Wayne's whose potion was literally throwing up globules of molten potion.

The bell rang, marking the end of classes that day, and the Gryffindors made their way back to their common room, feeling thoroughly exhausted.

They found James playing Reusable Hangman, a Weasley Wizarding Wheezes product for playing Hangman – not on paper, but with a tiny wooden man and a real set of gallows to scale, where apparently the little man will march up the gallows steps as the game progresses, with Victoire's fellow seventh year girls, and keeping them in fits, with his jokes.

'Well, well, well, how was the day at office?' he called out on seeing them.

'Not bad, I reckon,' replied Albus and collapsed in an armchair, by the fire.

'Have the teachers started to rave about the skills of Ms. Rose Weasley, eh?' James enquired.

'Yeah, that's out of question,' grinned Albus.

'Some things never change.'

'Hey, hear this out, James. We met Scorpious during Potions.' And, Albus recounted all that happened at the dungeons.

'That's a bit weird,' agreed James, rubbing his chin, thoughtfully. 'The Malfoys wanting to turn into a new leaf; hard to believe.'

'Rose and Scorpious were talking nineteen to the dozen though.'

'That doesn't surprise me,' smiled James. 'I believe it was one of Aunt Mione's many missions, to forget the enmity between the two families.'

'I guess, I'd better start my assignments. I've loads of essays,' groaned Albus. He found Andy and Wayne, and they decided to tackle the Herbology essay first.

The common room was almost deserted, when the trio rolled up their scrolls and went to their dormitories.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

'Hey, wake up, sleepyhead!' Andy was shouting. 'We have Transfiguration today. You don't want to be late to it. Professor Dorothy is a supposed to be disciplinarian. Hurry up. Rose has come twice already to wake you up.'

Albus rubbed his eyes, and was instantly awake. He changed into his robes, and went to the Hall hurriedly, and joined the Weasleys and James, who were heatedly discussing about the hundreds of passageways in Hogwarts.

'I think it must be that slimy git of a Salazar Slytherin, who designed the ever-changing floor plans and moving staircases inside the csatle. Must have been his idea of fun,' James was telling.

Everyone laughed at this jibe at Slytherin. However, Rose interrupted James. 'That is not true. It was indeed Rowena Ravenclaw, who started that trend.'

'Well, I guess, the words of a girl, who grew up hearing Hogwarts – A History as a bedside story, should be final,' said James and added in a stage whisper to Albus, 'I must have a word with Uncle Ron about Aunt Mione. I can't have young Rose knowing more about Hogwarts than me. What will happen to my reputation?'

'We have flying lessons today afternoon, James,' Albus told him.

'You want me to lend my Thunderbolt to you, Rose? - '

'- And end up in detention. No, thanks.'

'You want to consider my generous offer, Al.'

Abby, who was sitting next to James, but had taken no part in the discussion so far, made a brave stab of conversation. 'Are you studying third year?'

'I have eaten, I have played, I have faced many a detention, but no one has ever accused me of studying,' laughed James.

After breakfast, the first years marched on to their Transfiguration classroom to find Professor Dorothy, already inside.

Once everyone had found seats, and taken their quills, she started to rattle off. 'Transfiguration is essentially the art of changing the properties of an object – you had better take down everything what I say- it is possible to change inanimate objects into animate ones and vice versa. The oldest record of Transfiguration dates back to the eleventh century, when Circe, a witch who lived in the Greek island of Aeaea, was famous for turning lost sailors into pigs. The opposite of Transfiguration is Untransfiguration, which would be returning something to its proper form,' Professor Dorothy paused for breath.

Albus watched in amazement as Rose scribbled furiously. On his other side, Abby had her quill suspended in mid-air, having given up trying to follow the narration, long before. Half the class wore similar hapless expressions.

But, Professor Dorothy resumed her dictee, after a short pause. 'However, it should be noted that, Transfiguration is subject to rules, such as Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, which has five Principal Exceptions, of which food is one, which means that food cannot be produced out of thin air. Food can be moved from one place to another by magic, or changed, but not created out of nothing.'

After Albus had about hundreds peeps at his wristwatch, the bell clanged. 'God, that woman is a slave driver,' hissed Abby, once they were out of earshot.

They made their way back to the Hall to have lunch. Truth be told, none of the Gryffindors really had an appetite to eat. They were far too excited at the prospect of flying.

However, some looked downright alarmed. Wayne was sporting a very scared face. James was not helping things, either. 'If you fall off your broomstick and die, don't worry, you will be given a proper burial.'

'Don't,' cried Rose. 'Can't you see he is scared stiff.' She added in a kind voice to Wayne. 'You have nothing to worry, Wayne. We'll have our Flying Master, Flint, nearby.'

Opposite them, Abby, also from Muggle origin, was looking up to Albus for some hints. 'My dad reckons, the broom knows when you are nervous and it starts vibrating. So, keep a calm head, and follow whatever Flint says.'

'And, take care not to run into any butterflies in the air, Abby. The school brooms will promptly throw you off.' It was James, of course.

With this parting message, James muttered about being late to an Arithmancy class, and trotted off.

They spent some half an hour in their common room. Albus enlightened them about his father's lively first flying lesson, and how he had become the youngest player to represent a house team. The others listened to the tale in silent awe, before setting out for the Quidditch pitch.

On the way, they passed the Arithmancy classroom, and found James casually lounging outside, and blasting some tapestries, which were hanging from the ceiling, with his wand.

'My playing Exploding Snap seems to have upset that dumb professor, for some reason, and she sent me out,' he called out to Albus.

He winked at Abby. 'Beware of the Butterflies.'

Abby giggled, and asked Albus after a few paces, 'What does he do at home?'

'He resembles a bomb, that might go off any minute. Always has something mischievous up his sleeve. Mom reckons our house gets flooded by owls bringing letters of James' misbehavior in Hogwarts. There is no doubt about his talent, but you'll be hard pressed to find a lazier person than him.'

'Good respect you seem to have for your brother,' a snide voice, coming out of nowhere interrupted him.

Albus and Abby froze in midair. The voice had sounded uncannily like James.

'James,' called Albus tentatively.

Abby let out a scream. 'Someone touched me.'

'James, are you wearing dad's Invisibility Cloak?'

'You took this long to figure this out. I just thought, I might as well have fun witnessing your flying prowess, instead of spending an hour of unprofitable boredom, outside the class,' said James, pulling out his Cloak and revealing his head for a fraction of second.

'Its alright, Abby,' Albus said. Abby was looking a bit shocked this sudden turn of events.

'C'mon folks. How long are you going spend staring wide eyed at nothing.'

Albus realized how he and Abby would look for someone, who wasn't aware of James standing. He firmly seized Abby's hand and started walking to the Quidditch pitch.

'Potter, Evans, you are five minutes late. Ten points from Gryffindor,' said Flint, when they had joined the others.

For the next few minutes, a strange thing happened. Flint would open his mouth and attempt to say something, but no sound issued from it. Flint looked so weird, that some students started laughing.

Albus, however, knew exactly the reason why Flint's voice wasn't heard. He glanced at some bushes, which were beside him, and thought he distinctly heard a giggle. Abby also seemed to have guessed by now who was responsible for this, and she was clearly bursting to laugh.

After a while, Flint managed to find his voice at last. 'Silence, class. Everyone take a broom from that shed, and form a line over there,' he said, angrily.

'Merlin's beard, James is going to get us into trouble,' Albus grumbled to Abby.

Inside the broom shed, Abby was in fits of laughter. Once had subsided, she said, 'Oh, I really thought, I would die trying not to laugh. I would have exploded if he had continued that for another minute.'

'Hope he has had his share of fun and has gone back to his class.'

'Fat chance. You know your brother. He wont be able to resist an opportunity like this, not if it dangles in front of his eyes, in the form of Flint.'

'Very true. I said, I was just hoping, not expecting.'

The two carried a broom each, and joined the others in a line. Rose was casting vague suspicious looks at Albus and Abby, clearly smelling a rat.

'Now, keep your wand hand above your broom, and say UP,' instructed Flint.

Once everyone had mounted their brooms, Flint said, 'When I blow my whistle, kick hard and rise only for a few feet. Then, bend down and return to the ground immediately.'

Albus turned to Abby, and saw that she was seated a little backwards in her broom, than was normally required, and wearing a very nervous look on her face. This dint augur well for Albus and he frowned. But before he could do anything, Flint had blown on his whistle.

Feeling a little anxious for Abby, he kicked hard and rose into the air. It was a glorious feeling, as he watched the ground becoming smaller and smaller. Not wishing to infuriate Flint, he leant forward slightly, and his feet were soon touching the ground.

Most of his classmates were also back on ground. He looked up and his heart almost stopped beating. One broom was still in the air, and it was performing the most miraculous somersaults in the air. And, suddenly the broom was streaking towards the ground, and Albus could see Abby shrieking and holding on for dear life. The broom came to a smooth halt, and Abby climbed out of it, looking very shaken.

'Ms. Evans, did you listen to what I said before you took off? My instructions couldn't have been plainer. Rise a few feet and come back immediately. You heard that right.' Flint stormed at Abby, barely concealing his fury.

'I'm very sorry, sir. I kinda lost control of broom and -.'

' -You might have fallen of your broom. You have absolutely no idea of the consequences, which might have happened. Very rash thing to do. It is a miracle you are safe and sound. I wouldn't allow any more stunts like that in my class.' This continued on for a long while, as Flint vented out his anger.

Back in the common room, Rose was raging. 'That wasn't funny. You might have had Abby killed. You could have got all of us expelled. You -.'

'Hey Rose, catch your breath. I'm not asking you to praise my brilliant silencing charm and spectacular flying, but atleast do us all a favour and shut up. Anyway, Abby had a wonderful time, dint you?' James said with a grin.

Abby nodded. After the class, she had given Albus a blow-by-blow analysis of her flight with James. It seemed, he had suddenly seated himself in front of Abby in her broom, and asked her not to panic and keep quite. The rest had been sheer madness, in Albus' opinion. But, Abby had apparently enjoyed the experience, tremendously.

Rose rounded on Abby and gave a full blast of her fury. 'You don't go hanging around him, and supporting him. He'll get you expelled you in no time. I'm going to write to Aunt Ginny about you,' she added to James.

'You will leave my mother out of this,' James said in a dangerous voice.

'Drop it, both of you. And James, another word I hear about you, I'll surely report you,' warned Victoire, and stalked out.

Albus sighed in relief; the two of them could go on bickering, and felt grateful to Victoire.

By now, everyone was curious about what had happened, and they roared with laughter as James recounted it.

'You should have seen him, Roxanne. You would have laughed your ribs off. He was standing there, stupidly opening and closing his mouth, looking exactly like a troll.'


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

'Impiski Bottuluis!' cried Professor Slade, and the imp, they were supposed to be imprison in a bottle halted midway in its attempt to attack him, and sailed into the green bottle held in his palm.

'Now, every one of you has to come forward and have a go at the imp. Form a line, please,' and a general pushing to occupy the last positions followed.

Albus found himself sandwiched between Rose and Abby (they both had still not settled their disagreement on the subject of James). He watched his classmates, as they had no luck with the imp like Professor Slade. Most of them couldn't produce the spell at all, and the few of them who managed it, missed the imp completely. And in no time, it was Rose's turn.

'Impiski Bott-'

The imp merrily snatched her wand and chucked it out. Rose retreated back looking red-faced and angry, amid loud laughter.

Trying to look braver than he felt, he lumbered forward. Professor Slade released the imp from its bottle and it shot out of it.

'Impiski Bottuluis!' he shouted. A grey streak of light issued from his wand and shot towards the imp. The imp merely ducked the spell and stuck out its tongue, cheekily.

Feeling heartened that he had done a good deal better than Rose, he stood to watch Abby. She was slightly better off than Rose, he surmised.

After the class was over, Albus was accompanied by a pouting Rose to the Gryffindor common room. It was deserted except for James and his cronies. The three of them sank into an armchair. Abby and Rose lost no time in criticizing Professor Slade, about how difficult his lessons were.

James grimaced and said quietly, 'Now, don't you go carrying a grudge against him. Poor bloke. He won't last more than a year.'

'Yeah, that job's apparently jinxed. No one has lasted more than a year for about three decades,' Albus said to Abby.

Rose, however, was frowning in concentration. 'The brain seems to be working furiously,' James grinned.

'I just remembered something,' and lapsed into silence, again.

'Very nice of you to share it with us,' James said sarcastically.

'You know, I just realized, I remember mum telling me that, once a person is dead, the spell he casts is removed.'

When three blank faces greeted this pronouncement, she hurried on, 'Well, Voldemort was believed to have jinxed the Defense Against Dark Arts job, right? And how come the jinx is still there. It's fishy, isn't it?

Everyone considered this for a while, before broke the silence. 'We are talking about the most powerful wizard, Rose. Voldemort probably knew something more about curses and your dear mum didn't. Don't go scaring everyone off. And, there is no definite proof of Voldemort, jinxing the DA job, and this could even be a coincidence.'

The days rushed into weeks, and very soon, Albus had already spent a month at ogwHH

Hogwarts and he loved every inch of the castle. His lessons were also beginning to get interesting, as they had finished the basics in every subject and progressing on to more exciting stuff.

After attending their second flying lesson, the Gryffindors trudged back to their common room, chattering loudly. An additional pamphlet was pinned up in the notice board, along with the other usual notices that included the meeting times of assorted clubs and some Chocolate Card swap offers. The new one was a purple dossier mentioning the date for the first Hogsmeade visit, that year.

'Hey, that's real cool. We'll have lotsa fun,' shrieked Rose, turning a shining face, after reading it.

The word Hogsmeade was on the lips of every first year, the following day. The excitement caught on even to Abby and Wayne, who had no clue what Hogsmeade was. Rose was quick to share some tidbits with them. 'Hogsmeade is the only settlement in Great Britain inhabited solely by magical beings and is located northwest of our school. It was founded by a medieval wizard Hengist of Woodcroft. The shops there are superb, I've heard. You'll really love it.'

'A couple of decades back, only students in their third year and above, were allowed to visit the village. But now, the rules are changed and even first years are allowed, if you have permission,' said Albus.

The next day, Albus and Rose, walked out of the castle into the bright sunshine, clutching their money bags. They found themselves in a sea of Hogwarts, going to Hogwarts. It was really hard to get themselves heard amidst the din.

'Well, we seemed to have lost Abby in the crowd, it seems,' Albus said, craning his neck around, and hoping to get a glimpse of her.

'Yeah, but it is going to be hard to find her. With some luck, we might meet her at Hogsmeade.'

Where shall we go first?' asked Albus, after a while. 'We have reached Hogsmeade.'

'Let's go to the Three Broomsticks. We'll have a drink and then wander around,' replied Rose.

They both chose a seat by a window, and watched the hordes of students, passing by.

The owner of the Three Broomsticks, Madam Abbot was a close friend of their parents and she stopped by to greet them.

'Hullo kids. It's nice to have you here. Oh Albus, I must say, you look mighty like your dad,' she said, beaming at them. 'Say hello to your parents from me. Sorry, I have to rush now.' And, she bustled off to another customer.

After they had a glass of butterbeer each, they made a stop at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, which sells everything for your writing needs, and stocked up their supplies. Then, they wandered on to Honeydukes Sweetshop, and found Scorpious there, wearing a lonely and forlorn look. Feeling pity for him, they offered him to accompany them, and he gladly accepted.

'Hey, shall we go to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes?' suggested Rose. 'With some luck, we might run into Uncle George, he comes to his Hogsmeade branch sometimes.'

Albus agreed and the trio set out to their uncle's shop. Most unfortunately, he wasn't there. But, they did find James and his pals, having large parcels of joke stuff. Keen not be found in the company of a Malfoy in front of James, Albus decided against going inside.

'Let's take that turn into that deserted street. It'll be a nice change to get separated from this crowd,' said Scorpious.

Albus looked a little apprehensive, but followed Rose and Scorpious into that path. Some crooked houses were in vicinity on both sides of the road. They walked on, chatting merrily, without caring any tuppence about the route they took. Dusk was starting to fall thickly, and they suddenly realized it was almost time to return back to the castle. But most unfortunately, they had completely lost track of any remote sense of direction. They had been fairly confident of encountering a fellow student, but now they were lost.

The three of them waddled across in the direction they felt must be the right one. They became to panic when the time ticked past five. Their time was up and they were in big trouble, if they were caught.

'We have to tell somebody that we are lost. Maybe, they will show the right path,' said Rose. 'There is a light in that house over there. Shall we try there?'

They knocked on the door once. But, there was no sound from inside the house. So, Albus said in a carrying tone, 'Is anybody in?'

The door was pulled open suddenly, and they found themselves face to face with a heavily bandaged old woman, smelling horribly of firewhisky, and jagged, dirty teeth. They stifled a scream, and ran away as far as possible from that house.

Feeling desperate, they lumbered on, and heard a sound, which compounded their fears by a mile. They had heard the hoarse voice of their caretaker, Mr. Bumble. It had sounded quite near, and they stared at each other, looking petrified.

'If he catches us, we are goners!' whispered Rose. Albus saw that, she was close to tears.

Albus looked around. He saw a rundown and battered looking building. They had to hide inside that wretched place. There was no other alternative, other than to suffer in Mr. Bumble's clutches.

He beckoned the other two to follow him inside. The door didn't offer much of a resistance. And they went in, shutting the door behind them softly. Once their eyes got accustomed to the dark gloom, they saw some furniture; some of them were ripped off. There was also a rickety and crumbled staircase. Suddenly, Rose clutched his arm tightly and whispered, 'Al, I have a hunch that we are in the Shrieking Shack.'

Albus thought with a sudden jolt that she was probably right. He had heard enough about this place, and blamed himself for not realising it immediately. He watched through the only window to see if Mr. Bubble had shuffled past, and if it was safe to venture out, again.

The Shrieking Shack was eerie and sent shivers down Albus' spine. There was a sense of foreboding, and he wanted to be back at comfortable, warm Gryffindor common room. But, out of mere curiosity, Scorpious and Rose were already climbing up the crumbling staircase, cautiously. Scorpious was reaching forward to pull open the door. Albus had a strange urge to yell out loud, to stop Scorpious from opening the door. But, Scorpious had kicked the door open.

A blinding light issued out, and a great rushing sound like a rising storm was heard and the reverberations continued for a while in a ghastly manner. The shock made Rose stumble backward and she fell in a heap beside Albus. He was instantly beside her and checked for any sign of moment from Rose. But, the pitch darkness defeated him. He pulled out his wand, and muttered 'Lumos'.


	5. Chapter 5

Albus watched Rose's profile come into view. Her face was contorted in pain. She made an attempt to scramble up, but she was unable to lift herself up.

'What happened up there? Where is Scorpious?' Rose asked, her breath coming in gasps.

In his anxiety for Rose, Albus had totally forgotten Scorpious. 'I dunno. I'd better go upstairs and see.'

When Rose assured him that she wouldn't mind being alone, Albus made his way to the landing upstairs. The door was still left ajar. Feeling a little apprehensive of what he might face, Albus held his wand aloft and entered the room. Scorpious was standing in the middle of the room, with his back turned to him.

'Scorpious,' Albus called out tentatively, and edged forward. Scorpious appeared not to hear him. So, Albus raised his voice. 'SCORPIOUS!'

It seemed to bring Scorpious to his senses, and he whirled around suddenly. Albus was taken aback when he saw a drastic change in Scorpious's face. It had become paler, and he thought there was another sinister change, but Albus couldn't very well explain it properly even to himself.

'Are you alright? Did anything happen to you?'

'No. I'm OK.'

Even his voice had changed, mused Albus. 'Hey, we have to do something. Rose is badly hurt and isn't in a position to walk.'

When Scorpious made no attempt to offer a suggestion, Albus continued, 'Do you think we can carry her back to the castle?'

Scorpious gave a tiny noncommittal nod. Albus continued, 'I think our best chance of getting back to the castle is to follow Mr. Bumble, without his knowing.'

They climbed down the stairs and approached Rose. They lifted her tenderly between them and proceeded to the door. Albus cautiously peeped out and watched Mr. Bumble go past the corner and turn right. Albus gently lifted Rose with some half hearted aid from Scorpious, and supported her with his arms.

'Well, we have to take turns carrying her. I can't do this alone.'

Another nod.

'Hey hang on, why didn't I think of this earlier,' Albus said, talking more to himself than Scorpious. 'There is a secret passage from the Shrieking Shack to the castle. Our only problem is to get past the Whomping Willow.'

They found the passage, and started walking along the tunnel. It was quite broad and they had no difficulty reaching the end of the tunnel. Now was the harder part. Albus had heard enough stories from his parents to know that he had to make the tree passive by touching a knot in the tree. He found several likely candidates for the task. He tentatively touched a knot, and to his relief found the violent branches stopping their wild swaying, as though the tree had been turned to marble.

It was rather awkward to climb out of the hole, considering Rose's present state. Somehow, Albus half dragged and half carried Rose out of the hole. The grounds were quite dark, but the distant light from the castle guided them. It was a long walk, and Albus could hear his arms crying from bearing Rose's weight.

But, somehow they made it and their first stop was at Madam Pomfrey. Scorpious, however, had stalked off to the dungeons, after a lifeless 'see you'.

'Maybe, he's still shaken by our mishap. He'll come around tomorrow', Albus thought, and put Scorpious out of his mind.

'How did she end up like this?' demanded Madam Pomfrey.

'She accidentally fell down,' Albus offered, without elaborating.

'You know, your father spent half of his school life in the hospital wing,' she said brightly, as she expertly scrutinized Rose for any broken bones. 'It's a lucky fall, and there is no lasting damage inflicted. You may still have to spend the night here, though.'

Albus made sure Rose was feeling better and paved his way back to the Gryffindor common room. There, he found an assortment of Potters and Weasleys anxiously awaiting them.

'There you are,' shouted James. 'Where have you been?'

'Where is Rose?' asked Victoire.

Albus threw his battered body onto an armchair and recounted their adventure. James looked mightily impressed. 'You came back via the Whomping Willow!'

'Anyhow, Rose is not badly hurt. Madam Pomfrey said it'll be okay for her to attend classes tomorrow,' Albus informed them.

After exchanging goodnights and citing exhaustion, he trudged back to his dormitory. He was made to recount the day's proceedings to Andy, Wayne and Jason, before he was finally allowed to sleep.

The next morning, Albus scribbled a brief letter to his parents, had a quick breakfast and went to the hospital wing. He found Rose looking hale and healthy. 'Madam Pomfrey seems to have done her nut,' Albus grinned.

'Well, it wasn't exactly what you would call a cozy night. I thought for a moment she was gonna force feed poison to me. I was too appalled to drink a particularly evil smelling potion,' Rose laughed.

It was during Potions that Albus and Rose had a chance to meet Scorpious after the previous day's escapades. Albus needn't have worried. Scorpious gave them both a radiant smile as he sat down alongside them.

'So, Madam Pomfrey patched you up?' he asked Rose.

Rose nodded. Silence fell, as Professor Slughorn explained to them about the potion, they were supposed to make – Babbling Beverage.

'It is an amusing potion, really,' he gave a tiny wink before continuing. 'It causes the target person to blabber complete nonsense.'

'An opposite of Veritaserum, Professor?' offered Scorpious.

Professor Slughorn beamed at him. 'You are right. It makes the drinker reveal his deepest secrets. And, unlike the Babbling Beverage, it's highly complex to brew.'

'But, you can do it easily, I believe,' said Scorpious.

The potions master was suitably flattered. 'Of course, m'boy. I believe I have a supply of it in my personal store. I'll show it to everyone if you complete this potion quickly.'

The remainder of the class flew by, as everyone executed the instructions given in their Potion's book. When they filled a tiny bottle with their respective potion, and left it in the teacher's desk, Rose's potion, to nobody's surprise, and Scorpious' potion, to general surprise, got the praise of Slughorn.

When the bell rang, Albus watched Scorpious approach Slughorn. 'Sir, if it isn't any hindrance to you, my father wants a small favor. My mom has been bitten by our pet Diricawl, you see. So, my dad requested a small sample of Murtlap Essence from you. He reckons the samples in the market aren't up to scratch.' He added on an afterthought. 'He'll pay you, of course.'

'Ah, anything for an old pupil. Come with me, my dear boy, I'll probably find a sample in my store,' Professor Slughorn said, genially slapping Scorpious on the back, and leading him to the deeper dungeons.

'C'mon. Let's go,' Albus muttered to Rose, and the two made their way to the last period of the day.

Rose was rummaging her bag. 'Drat, I guess, I left my Transfiguration book in my room. Professor Dorothy will have a blue fit, if she catches me without a book. You join the others. I'll be back.'

'You'd better not be late', Albus warned, before hurrying to catch up with Wayne and Andy.

At the Transfiguration class, Albus saved a seat for Rose, and kept his eye on the door. After ten minutes had passed without any signs of Rose, Albus became to get very worried. He considered going to the Gryffindor tower to check on her. But, he knew Professor Dorothy wouldn't surely allow that. So, he waited impatiently throughout the class, hardly listening to a word the teacher said.

'It's not like Rose to miss a class, at any cost,' Albus thought, as he ran to their tower.

He hastily muttered _Acconite_ to the Fat Lady, and climbed into the common room. He was flabbergasted to see Rose apparently sleeping on an armchair. He gently shook her, and she slowly opened her eyes.

'What am I doing here? Did Professor Dorothy send you to fetch me?'

'No. The class is over. What happened?'

'I honestly dunno, Al. Actually, I came to my room, and couldn't find my book anywhere. So, I decided to come to the class, nevertheless. After that, I couldn't remember anything, till you woke me up.'

Albus saw that Rose was looking really pale. He suddenly caught sight of a book lying on the floor. He bent to pick it. 'Hey, Rose, here is your Transfiguration book.'

'How did it end up here!'

'I suppose you were reading it yesterday, were you?'

'Al, I was lying in the hospital yesterday, remember.'

Albus sensed a feeling of unrest in his mind. 'Do you want to visit Madam Pomfrey? You might be wanting some refreshing draught.'

'Oh, don't be silly. Everything is completely fine,' Roe pouted.

How very wrong her remark turned out to be!


	6. Chapter 6

That evening, Albus and Rose spent their time doing some of unfinished work. It was frequently punctured by Rose's grumbling like 'How could I have missed a class?', 'What will Professor Dorothy think?'

Albus didn't offer any opinion. He continued to pore over his _Dark Forces: A Guide To Self Protection_ and made some notes. Unable to concentrate on his work with Rose beside him, he decided to shift his position. He moved towards James, who was whispering conspiratorially to his cronies. On second thoughts, he decided he might get rebuffed if he joined them. So, he scanned for other familiar faces. But, surprisingly, James beckoned him closer.

'Hey Al, Are you feeling rebellious tonight?' James winked.

'What are you planning?'

'We only crave for a little excitement in this forsaken place.'

'You definitely have me interested. What is the deal?'

'Well, if we have you tagging alongside us, we can't plan anything big. So, let's go for a midnight stroll to the Forbidden Forest.'

Albus certainly didn't classify this idea as trifle; having hoped for far less dangerous plans, and was already regretting his decision of accepting James' invitation. But, he didn't want to show that he was scared, to James. So, he kept quiet.

'Are we using the Invisibility Cloak?' Albus wanted to know.

'We don't really want that, do we, boys? What's the point of everything if you use the cloak?'

'I'd feel better if we have it with us, just in case,' Albus protested.

James gave in atlast. 'Okay. Let us wait for everyone to clear. In the meantime, I'll go and get the Cloak.'

At a quarter to twelve, the common room was empty. Albus followed James and his friends out, feeling a little apprehensive. Despite Albus's constant badgering, they wouldn't agree to use the Invisibility Cloak. 'We can use it if we confront Mr. Bumble,' said James. 'I've always wanted to give him a little scare.' And, his face cracked into a wicked grin.

'Well, there is no chance of us getting caught. James has the Marauder's Map with him, remember,' Zack said comfortingly.

'Let's access the situation, and decide which secret passage to follow,' James whispered, and took out an ancient piece of parchment.

James took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and muttered, _'I solemnly swear I'm up to no good'._

And, the Marauder's Map, showing every detail of Hogwarts and its grounds, emerged. Albus inched closer, and peered over James's shoulder to see it.

James traced a path with his finger that led straight to the grounds. 'I guess that's probably the best route. And, it's been a while since we went along that way. What do you say, guys?'

'Only Peeves is hanging around in that area,' observed Albus.

'Peeves is no problem for us. Luckily none of the teachers are out of bed.'

Albus thought James's voice sounded half sad that they weren't facing any complexities. 'Okay, let us make some headway, shall we?'

The foursome began walking along the path, they had decided upon. Albus, who had never seen the castle so deserted, found it strange. They did run into Peeves, the poltergeist, who hanging from midair and crooning softly to himself. When he noticed them, he swept his belled hat from his head and raised it as a salute.

'He obviously had a lot of respect for Uncles Fred and George. And, he kinda expects us to keep the tradition going,' James said to Albus, once they were out of earshot.

Once, they had reached the grounds, James took the Map again, and squinted at it. He startled the others by letting out an audible gasp.

'What?' Albus asked immediately.

'Have a look at the dot moving in the Forest?' He sounded horrified, which was a rarity.

Albus grabbed the Map from James and saw the spot which James pointed. He could see a tiny dot labeled _'Scorpious Malfoy' _moving steadily. Albus let out an even bigger gasp. 'What the hell is he doing out there, alone?'

'Only one way to know the reason. Find him.' It was Damon. James and Zack nodded their approval. Even Albus's curiosity was roused.

'Let us get into the Invisibility Cloak. And, don't make a sound, any of you,' warned James, as he pulled the Cloak out of his robes.

'Do you think it'll fit the four of us?' Albus asked in a doubtful tone.

'I guess so. We had better be extra careful. Still, I reckon our ankles might be visible. So, we have to rely on the dark night to hide us.'

They covered themselves with the Cloak in the best way they could and proceeded in the direction indicated by the dot. It was very dark when they entered the Forest, and Albus had difficulty spotting a tree, let alone the possible silhouette of a boy. When they were quite near to the spot where they had witnessed the dot in the Map, James motioned them to stop. The four of them strained their ears to catch any movement. After a few seconds had passed, Albus thought he could hear the distinct sound of some rustling sound in the near distance. Apparently, the others had also sensed it. On James's guidance, they moved towards the sound as stealthily as they could. Suddenly, they heard a whooshing sound, which momentarily halted them. But after that, they couldn't neither hear any sound nor sense any movement.

When a few minutes had passed without anything spectacular happening, James seemed to have had enough. He pulled the Cloak off, and pulled out the Map again. When Albus protested, he gave a scoff, 'Don't be a prat.'

'Merlin's Beard, the dot is still here!' exclaimed James.

'Does Malfoy have an Invisibility Cloak like us?' asked Zack.

'No. Actually, if you examine the Map closer, the dots of Albus and Scorpious are overlapping each other. So, you can rule out that possibility.' He looked up and muttered, 'To the duffer, who decides to ask this question, there are no trees nearby. He can't very well be up, as well.'

James whipped out his wand and said, _'Homenum Revelio'_. When nothing happened, Albus asked, 'What was that spell supposed to do?'

'Well, it would have revealed the presence of any human nearby. So, it brings us to two possible conclusions, as I see it. One, the Map is mistaken, which is highly unlikely. Two, your friend has learnt some hitherto unknown trick. It seems even more highly than the former, though.'

Albus listened to James's logic, looking totally flabbergasted. He couldn't think of any other possibility. But, his only desire now, was to go back to the castle immediately. Zack and Damon looked rather shaken as well, and they managed to persuade James, that the best course was to analyze the situation after a good night's sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

'You got to be kidding!' Rose cried, startling half a dozen Gryffindors at breakfast.

Albus had just enlightened her about what had happened the previous night. 'Honestly, Rose, you needn't overreact like that. James was all for not telling you. So, don't give the game away to him.'

'Sorry,' mumbled Rose. 'Hey, do you reckon he might have used a broomstick to stay out of your sight?'

'Wow, that's a really good possibility. But, first years aren't allowed brooms, you know.

'That's true and the fact remains he isn't a good flyer by anyone's standards. So, even if he did have a broom in hand, he wouldn't have learnt to hover over an exact place.'

'Well, it was your idea,' Albus grinned.

When they were munching their food rather thoughtfully, James joined them. 'Gee, I can tell from Rose's face that Albus has spilt the beans to her,' he said to his cronies.

'Rose suggested that he might have used a broom,' Albus said.

'That is out of question,' scoffed Zack.

'Yeah,' agreed James. 'He wouldn't - '

'– Have a broom. We already discussed that,' Rose said wearily.

'We are gonna corner the little spunk today anyway. So, not to worry. You'll get the truth first thing tomorrow.'

'You really think he is going to admit everything to you,' Rose asked incredulously.

'Well, to be honest, we weren't planning to be very polite,' Damon said, and the three of them sniggered.

'You'll do nothing of that sort,' Rose said angrily. 'If there is any interrogation to be done, then I think it should be me and Albus, and most definitely not _you_.'

'This is one of the many reasons why you should never involve a female in your plans. They are too soft. You seriously think I'll obey you,' James taunted.

Albus, who had been reading a letter from his mother, and only half listening to this argument, decided to put his foot in. 'Well, I think it's definitely more serious than you think, James. It'll be better if _we_ ask. Not in a direct way, mind you.'

James seemed mollified. 'When do you plan to do it?'

'In our next Potions class.'

Albus spent the entire Transfiguration class thinking of all the possible ways to confront Scorpious. After mulling his ideas over, he was none the wiser. It was virtually impossible to think of any possible way to ask Scorpious without throwing him off guard. 'Did you do anything yesterday night?' sounded too silly. He thought fervently that he should have allowed James to do everything. It would have saved him from all this trouble. He wondered if Rose had worked out a plan by now.

When the class ended, he found Rose. 'So what shall we ask him?'

'I really can't do it. I don't believe that he did anything fishy yesterday.'

Albus was flabbergasted on hearing this. Did she really doubt the live account of four persons? Surely not. Anyway, he wasn't in any mood to argue with her. He knew he had to face James, if he didn't face Scorpious and he gave a groan. He thought of writing to his dad or mom about it. But, he immediately decided against it. James would be furious with him, if their parents were to find out about their escapade.

They trouped inside the dungeons, and seated themselves on either side of Scorpious. After five minutes had passed by, Rose gave Albus a meaningful glance.

'Umm Scorpious, did you hear about the latest broom on display in Quality Quidditch Supplies.' He knew he had made a bad start.

'No.' Scorpious looked mildly surprised.

'So, what broom do you own?' Albus said, trying not to sound over enthusiastic.

'I don't own a broom,' he replied and quickly added. 'I'm not a great flier, anyway.'

Albus decided to make another brave stab. 'It was very warm yesterday night, wasn't it?' he asked lamely.

'No idea. I'm a deep sleeper. An earthquake wouldn't awake me.'

Well, if he was lying, and Albus very much doubted it, he was doing an excellent job. His face was impassive and didn't give away anything. He decided to give it up. If James was so eager to unravel the mystery, he had better do it himself. It was beyond Albus' realm.

Suddenly, he was reminded of his mother's letter he had received in the morning post. He craned his neck and faced Rose. 'Hey, dad is coming to Hogwarts next week to give his annual talk on Defense Against Dark Arts.'

As a special request to Professor McGonagall, his father had been giving classes on Defense Against Dark Arts every year for the first years. A short demo session also normally followed.

'Wow that is cool,' Rose said. 'I wonder what he will tell us.'

'Probably what we hear at home constantly, I guess,' Albus grinned. 'Constant Vigilance. And, don't you keep your hopes high. It's mostly going be _Expelliarmus_ in the dueling session.'

'Yeah, that's Uncle Harry's trademark,' Rose giggled. 'Hey, do James and the others know about this?'

'I don't reckon James is going to be overly happy about the prospect of dad meeting McGonagall. She is sure to drop a line or two about him.'

Once the bell had rung and they were out of earshot from Scorpious, a new thought struck Albus. 'Hey, is it possible for Scorpious to share a common first name with a family member?'

Rose rolled her eyes. 'You are worse than James. Are you ever going to let it drop? Anyway, that is a dumb suggestion. There aren't many Malfoys out there, you know.'

Yeah, I know. It is just that James is not going to be happy we didn't learn anything new.'

In the Gryffindor common room, Albus found James propped with the Daily Prophet in his hands, with a serious look in his face. Albus threw himself beside James, and looked at the article he was reading. It was weird for James to be interested in any news, not concerning Quidditch.

**Huge Explosion causes uproar amongst Muggles; wizard hand suspected.**

A mighty explosion shook Muggle population residing in Halifax area. The number of lives lost is still not certain. Reports also suggest that quite a few buildings have been damaged beyond repair. Local police have been baffled. No known explosives have been identified. The Muggle Prime Minister, suspecting the hand of a wizard, sought a meeting with our minister, Shacklebolt. But, there are currently no records of any wizard or witch living in that area. Shacklebolt has stated it was probably some Muggle experiment, which had gone wrong, and openly denied any wizard link to the explosion.

Albus finished reading it. But, he still couldn't understand James' seemingly concerned look. 'That's pretty strange. But – '

James cut him off. 'Halifax is pretty close to Little Whining.'

Understanding dawned on Albus. Little Whining was where their Uncle Dudley's family resided. 'But, they are OK, aren't they?' His voice shook.

'I wrote to dad when I came across this. I don't reckon anything could have happened to them. If so, dad would have surely written to us earlier.'

Albus agreed to that explanation. It sounded logical enough to him. He told his brother about his lousy encounter with Scorpious and the news of their father coming to Hogwarts. James was furious at his lack of trying with Scorpious, and looked thoughtful about the latter.

'Forget that. The Quidditch season has started,' James said with enthusiasm. 'We have Slytherin this weekend. We really have to get a good start if we want to defend our title. We cannot afford to lose to them.'

'I have to admit, I'm receiving rather flattering comments of your flying abilities on the grapevine.'

'Oh, you make me blush, bro,' James replied, trying his best to be modest, but failing by a mile.


	8. Chapter 8

The Gryffindor – Slytherin match was eagerly anticipated by the entire school as it threw forward one of the oldest rivalries in Hogwart's history. Nothing else was in the lips of the students in the run up to the big day. Albus was also very much excited about it. He had watched plenty of Quidditch matches in his life. He had accompanied his parents for most of England's matches. And, he very badly wanted to see James play. He had endured James's bragging a lot that he wanted to judge for himself.

The day dawned bright and clear. Albus got up earlier than usual, awakened his roommates, got dressed quickly and made his way to the Great Hall. He found Rose tucking in breakfast, along with most of the Gryffindors. James was there of course, his sleek _Thunderbolt_ strapped to his back and basking in everyone's attention. Albus could see that James simply loved all the attention he was getting.

'Get yourself a good seat, Al.' He added in an undertone, so that Rose couldn't hear. 'I've made a bet with Dominique that I break a bone of their top Chaser, Barras.'

'Good luck,' Albus grinned and said bracingly. 'Make sure we win.'

'See you in a jiffy. Got to be in time for Victoire's pre match speech for a change. Or, she'll kill me' And, James sprinted off.

Rose, who was nearby, added her wishes, and said, 'Let us also go the stands, shall we?'

Albus nodded. They had Wayne tagging alongside them. They found good seats in the top row. All three of them were sporting scarlet robes like all the Gryffindors. A green and silver sea of Slytherin supporters faced them. A huge erupted as both teams walked into the field.

Albus saw James practically bouncing as the teams gathered around Flint. After both the captains, Victoire and Barras shook hands with each other, everyone clambered onto their brooms. On Flint's whistle, the fifteen brooms rose high in the air. Keeping James in sight, Albus followed the commentary provided by James's friend, Zack.

'They are off. It's Gryffindor immediately in possession. It's a pretty much unchanged Gryffindor squad which romped home to the Cup last year. The Gryffindor Chasers Rundle, Warlow and Lambert are a terrific team. Just watch the coordination of passing between them. Warlow ducks a bludger. He has a clear field ahead. The Keeper charges forward to block him. A clever reverse pass to Rundle. He has an empty goal post to aim at. And, HE SCORES! That was sheer class from the Gryffindor Chasers.'

Instantly, a huge round of cheers issued from the scarlet clad supporters, followed by boos and catcalls from the Slytherin supporters. Albus craned his head to catch Scorpious's face. But, he had difficulty following James, let alone the tiny face of Scorpious and gave it up. So, he focussed his binoculars back on James. He watched James do a little somersault for celebration.

'Oh no. It's the Slytherin skipper, Barras, flying past the scarlet figures. Whoa, he is blocked by a bludger sent by Potter. Excellent work from him. It's Gryffindor back in possession. Lambert! Rundle! Warlow! Back to Lambert! Potter sends a bludger pelting towards the Slytherin Keeper, who ducks it, but concedes the goal in the process. TWENTY – ZERO to Gryffindor!'

'Your brother really knows his stuff,' Wayne said in awe.

'Don't you say that in front of him?' Rose muttered. 'His ego's inflated already.'

Albus chortled. In the next ten minutes, the Gryffindor Chasers continued to stamp their authority. They were unbelievable, but still, they were definitely not in James's league. Arrogantly brilliant, he continued to flaunt the opposition effortlessly. Albus watched, mesmerized, as his brother whacked bludger after bludger at the Slytherins. He seemed to attract the bludger like a magnet as he circled the pitch like an eagle.

Gryffindor had pulled ahead by a hundred points. But, however, there was no sign of the golden snitch yet. Victoire, Gryffindor's Seeker, was flying very high, her eyes on the lookout for a speck of gold. She would yell at James from time to time, whenever he decided to show off. This, of course, happened rather often.

A big gasp erupted from the crowd. The Slytherin Seeker, Zabini had obviously spotted the snitch and was chasing it, bent double on his broom, and urging it on. Victoire was aware of this fact a moment too late, and this shifted the balance to Zabini. Gryffindor were ahead by a hundred and forty points. If Zabini caught the snitch, it would invariably hand victory to Slytherin by ten points. His hands were closing in on the snitch when suddenly, out of nowhere, a bludger, swiped with venom by James, came ricocheting and knocked his hands away from the snitch. The snitch veered off course. Its change of trajectory suited Victoire, and her fingers closed on the struggling, tiny snitch. It was all over in two seconds. It was a huge victory for Gryffindor, arguably one of their biggest ever wins over their arch rivals.

James's euphoria lasted the entire night, when the Gryffindors partied in their common room. He insisted on giving blow by blow analysis of the match to everyone who came to congratulate him, which very nearly drove Rose mad. She retreated to bed earlier and missed the arrival of Sorsha, their owl.

'I suppose that's the reply from dad,' James said to Albus, as he undid the letter from her legs. He turned out to be right. Albus listened as he read it aloud.

Dear James,

Uncle Dudley and his family are safe and sound. Don't you go worrying about them. They were actually very pleased with your concern for them. Don't forget that they have invited you to their house during the Christmas holidays. So, you'll be seeing a lot of them. The explosion was nothing very serious, it seems. Anyway, your father is totally convinced that it was not the work of a Wizard. That reminds me of the horrific incident that happened yesterday. Diagon Alley was attacked. The Olivander's, Gambol and Japes, the Junk shop were all blown apart by an unknown wizard. No living witnesses. Uncle Ron and your father are working overtime. The Ministry is in disarray, because they haven't faced anything like this for a very long time. I'm not sure if the _Daily Prophet _will be allowed to publish this piece of news. So, don't go blabbering around. It's all hushed up, actually. But, don't panic. It'll be sorted out quite soon. By the way, I'm pleading with you. Don't go wandering around for sometime. Promise me that, OK? And, take care of Albus. Don't go scaring him off, please. Lots of love, Mom.

P.S: Harry is coming to Hogwarts in a couple of days.

'Whew, that's got to be the longest letter, mom has ever written me,' laughed James.

Albus frowned. He didn't take this lightly. He was really worried. Lots of strange things were happening, and he didn't like it one wee bit.

James noted this and said, 'Oh, come on. Don't go losing your sleep worrying about this nutter. Anyway, dad will turn up in two days and everything will just be fine.'

This thought considerably cheered Albus up. After a while, he couldn't defy sleep any longer. He wished James 'Good Night' and trudged back to his dormitory. He fell asleep immediately. His sleep was marred by nightmares.


	9. Chapter 9

Albus found out first thing the next morning that his mother had been wrong. The _Daily Prophet _had a field day with the Diagon Alley murders. It lost no time in criticizing the Ministry for its lapse in security and less than capable efforts in trying to find the murderer.

The news concerning his father's arrival to Hogwarts had also leaked somehow. Albus found himself having to confirm this news to everyone who wanted to know if that was true. He was greatly irritated by that.

Albus's father was slated to give them a talk at the Great Hall. It had been rearranged for it. The four long tables had been replaced by chairs arranged in rows. The Gryffindors were led by Professor Longbottom in a line to the Great Hall. It seemed that the Slytherins had been the first to arrive, and had already occupied the front rows. Albus sat between Rose and Andy. Not much later, the entire Hall was occupied, and there was an eager anticipation in every face.

Exactly at ten, Albus's father made his entrance, accompanied by Headmistress, McGonagall. Everyone stood up as they entered. Harry Potter made his way to the podium which had assigned to this purpose, and signaled everyone to sit. Albus watched as his father scanned the room, searching for him. He caught his eye and gave him a tiny wink.

Albus felt a kind of furious pride as he watched his father give his introductory notes. As he had suspected, he had heard most of his speech at home. When he observed his father intently, he thought he could detect some signs of tiredness in his face. All the students were uncharacteristically quiet and hanging on every word his father uttered.

When his father had finished his address, the students were permitted to ask him questions. A Hufflepuff boy instantly put up his hand. Albus had a feeling that his name was Anderson.

'Sir, what do you think of the attack in Diagon Alley?'

'Well, since we don't have any living eyewitness, it doesn't leave us with plenty of options,' he admitted, before continuing. 'But, even as we speak, every Auror in our department is trying to come up with something. We have also made some additional security measures at important landmarks, merely as precaution.'

'Was he after something, sir?' Another boy wanted to know.

'We are still not certain. To be honest, the place under question is in total ruins, and it is impossible to tell.'

'Was it definitely one person, then? Or a band?' the same boy ploughed on.

'I very much doubt that. Because, on closer investigation, we discovered that the majority of the wreckage was caused by a single wand. Now, if you will pardon me, I can't reveal anything more on that subject.'

Albus saw his father glancing at Professor McGonagall. As if on cue, she asked everybody to stand up. Then, she gave a little flick of her wand, and instantly all the chairs disappeared into nowhere.

'Can everyone hear me?' Harry asked.

When nobody objected, Harry continued, 'Now, I want everyone to find a partner.'

There was some general murmuring, as everybody searched for a pair. Naturally, Albus and Rose became partners. A minor disturbance at the front caused an outburst of voices and everyone craned their necks, curious to know what the fuss was about. A Slytherin boy had apparently thrown a tantrum of not feeling well, and Professor Slughorn sent him off to Madam Pomfrey.

'I'm going to teach you a basic, but a highly useful spell,' Harry said. 'It will disarm your adversary. And, the incantenum is _Expelliarmus._' Albus caught Rose's eye, and they both grinned. 'Take turns and try to disarm your partner.'

Albus was the first to try his luck against Rose. Concentrating hard, he shouted_ 'Expelliarmus', _and to his utmost delight saw Rose's wand soaring out of her hand towards him. He deftly caught it and threw it back to her. He looked around. Quite a few wands were flying in all directions. He was surprised to see his father practicing with a boy at the front. Though, he wasn't tall enough to see the boy's face, he assumed that it must be the boy whose partner had called in sick.

A little while later, he watched his father patrolling amongst the students, making corrections. When Harry passed them, he lauded the efforts of both Albus and Rose. 'You are doing great, Al and Rose!'

After Albus and Rose had disarmed each other around twenty times, McGonagall called for everyone to stop. When everyone was reunited with their wands, Harry said, 'Well, I must say I'm pretty much satisfied with this year of students. Most of you were able to master the spell.' Naturally, this signaled the end of class. However, quite a few students, craving for a chance to speak with Harry Potter, besieged him with questions about his defeat of Lord Voldemort.

When Harry finally managed to disentangle himself from the crowd, he made his way to Albus and Rose. 'So, how is Hogwarts?'

Albus and Rose spent the next thirty minutes, briefing Harry on everything they liked in Hogwarts. When it was time for lunch, James and the other Weasleys joined them. Albus enjoyed it immensely and felt as though he were back at home. But, soon, it was time for Harry to leave. He half wanted to tell his father, all the strange things that happened during the last few days. But, James had him under close surveillance. Saying goodbye to his father, Albus made his way to his Charms class. And, Albus began to feel the horrors of the last few days close in on him. He consoled himself saying that there was only one more week before they went home for Christmas holidays.


	10. Chapter 10

Contrary to Albus's fears, the last week went smoothly, without anything out of the ordinary happening. Albus was very much excited at the prospect of going back to home and seeing everyone there. He finished packing and went downstairs. He found James coming from his dormitory, carrying his backpack.

'Hey, Rose has already gone to the Hall. I found Wayne and her exchanging goodbyes with Scorpious. The git had the nerve to stare hard at me. You done with your packing?'

Albus nodded, when a thought struck him. 'Why did you come back when you had already finished packing?'

'Well, I had this feeling that I'd forgotten something.'

'You have packed the Invisibility Cloak and the Map, haven't you?' Albus asked. 'Or dad will be mad.'

James seemed to come out of a reverie and started rummaging through his stuff. 'Will you believe it? I haven't packed the Cloak yet. Be right back in a minute. Wait for me, OK.'

James rejoined him soon. 'I still can't understand how I left the Cloak behind. Because, I feel pretty certain that I packed it yesterday.'

'You never had a great memory, did you?' Albus grinned.

'Yeah,' James agreed good-naturedly.

They joined the queue that waiting to board the train. Rose had found an empty compartment for them. And, they spent the time teasing and joking with each other, thoroughly enjoying the journey.

When the train arrived at Platform nine and three-quarters, Albus found his father, mother, Uncle Ron and Aunt Mione waiting for them. He was so delighted to see his mom that he threw his arms over her immediately. Over the other side, Rose was also clinging to Hermione. Chattering loudly, they made their way to the car park.

'Why didn't Lily and Hugo come?' Albus demanded, once everyone had seated themselves inside the car.

Ginny ruffled his hair and replied, 'They wanted to come. But, they wouldn't have fit into the car. So, we left them at our house.'

Ron, who was doing the driving added, 'Teddy is baby-sitting them.'

When they reached home, Lily gave a loud shriek and came out. She gave Albus a big hug, and dragged him inside. 'Everyone is coming for dinner tonight,' she beamed.

'That's nice,' said Albus appreciatively.

'Is Uncle George also coming?' James wanted to know. Understandingly enough, the two of them got along really well.

'Don't smuggle any banned stuff from him, OK?' Ginny said warningly.

'Oh, would I do that?' James said in an innocent tone which deceived none.

Dinner was a raucous affair that night. Albus' grandfather and grandmother were the first arrivals. They showered Albus and Rose with sweets and small gifts. Next to follow was George, who was immediately shepherded inside by James, much to Ginny's disapproval. Last to apparate were Bill, Fleur and Victoire.

Once all the visitors had arrived, Harry bewitched a gargantuan dining table to sit in the middle of the garden. When he failed in his first two attempts, Albus distinctly heard his father grumbling, 'My wand is losing its grip.'

Lily perched herself next to Albus and badgered him with questions about Hogwarts. She was visibly eager to hear Albus' version of the Wizarding School after being resigned to hearing barbed comments from James the previous summer.

James had wedged himself in-between Teddy Lupin and Victoire, making things difficult for them, when they were badly craving for some privacy. Elsewhere, the elders were discussing in hushed tones about the Diagon Alley murders.

All the food and the familiarity of the atmosphere were making Albus to feel relaxed and contented. But, that constant feeling that something was not right, continued to gnaw him.

James cut across his musing. 'Hey, shall we go to Mark's place tomorrow?'

'Yeah,' Albus readily agreed. He had never been to his Uncle Dudley's place. He knew that they were his only Muggle relations. And that James liked Dudley's son, Mark, very much. But still, he was curious to know what drew James to that place often. 'Can Rose also come with us?'

'I dunno. You gotta ask Uncle Ron. But honestly, I don't think it's a very good idea asking Rose.'

'Oh come on, she'll also like to visit a Muggle residence.'

James relented rather reluctantly. After dinner, they cornered their father and Uncle Ron. Once they got the go ahead, they started making plans for the next day with Rose.

'Well, we had better get up early tomorrow. I'll have Dad to fix us with train tickets. Shouldn't be much of a problem. Uncle Dudley will pick us from the station.'

'When shall we be coming back?' Rose asked.

'We shant be trespassing their hospitality for a long while. We shall spend the morning there and come back.'

The next day, after a hasty breakfast and a lengthy piece of advice from Ginny, they set off. They had chosen Muggle clothing for the trip. Albus was sporting a Nike shirt, brandishing a name 'Rooney' at the back. Both Albus and Rose were looking rather conspious, while James looked perfectly at ease.

Harry dropped them off at the station. Thankfully, the train was on time. And, they clambered on an empty compartment. They were joined by a family of four, constituting of two children and their parents. The kids turned out to rather boisterous and Albus spent the entire train journey watching their little pranks.

When they got down from the train, they were thronged by a sea of people. Somehow, they freed themselves from the crowd and made their way out to the car park, with James in the lead.

'That's their car over there. The red one. Come on. They must be somewhere there.'

And, quite right he turned out to be. Albus spotted his Uncle Dudley and Mark beside the car. Albus had never seen them in person before. He could vaguely remember seeing his oversized uncle in a wedding album. His son, Mark came out to be a real surprise. He looked really handsome with twinkling eyes and a ready smile. After a round of hellos they clambered into the car.

Albus, who had previously had zero experience with Muggle cars, thought it looked exactly like a magic car, minus the invisibility mode. They reached Privet Drive in a surprisingly short while, considering the heavy morning traffic and the fact that the car couldn't fly.

The house wasn't like anything that Albus had visited in all his life. It was spotlessly clean, and everything was gleaming. Mark led them all to his room. If the rest of the house had surprised him, this room really stumped him. All over the room was weird looking gadgets, stacks of some round shiny disks scattered over the bed and to cap it all there was a rather huge screen with moving pictures. Still finding it hard to take in this entirely new world, Albus nevertheless plonked himself into a comfortable looking armchair.

Albus watched as James and Mark played what James explained was Peeyes 3 (anyway that was it sounded to him like). Rose, who had suffering in silence the entire while, suddenly announced, 'I'm very bored.'

Mark apologized and offered to let her watch TV. All this Muggle talk was getting into Albus' nerves. But, much to his surprise, after ten minutes, he and Rose were glued to the screen. After Mark had taught them to swap channels, they began to thoroughly enjoy the experience. They watched one channel where two tough looking guys were fighting with each other for all their life's worth. In another, they found a girl calling herself Amy Lee having a huge crowd spellbound with her singing.

'Hey, she sounds so like Kirley Duke of the _Weird Sisters_,' Rose exclaimed.

'Wow, you have rock bands in the magical world too.' Mark was curious.

Soon, James and Albus were enthusiastically talking about the Celestina Warbeck, Gideon Crumb and other notable singers of the Wizarding Wireless Network.

'Hey, are there real vampires in your world?' Mark wanted to know.

'Yeah,' agreed James. 'Why do you ask?'

'I recently read a story based on vampires. And, according to the book, vampires are immortal, never age, are inhumanly beautiful, are incredibly strong and possess amazing reflexes. Is any of it true?'

James and Albus laughed. 'Well, that is incorrect. Vampires are definitely not immortal. They tend to stick to themselves. They were considered to be dangerous and there used to vampire hunters. But, now the vampires are restricted to Transylvania in Romania and the Black Forest in Germany and they prey only on animals.'

Meanwhile, Rose had turned back to the TV again. She watched two people involved in hitting a ball over a net, and moved on to another channel, where someone was announcing the impending failure of the world's supposedly most powerful weapon ever built.

When James was finally bored playing, the four of them trouped downstairs to eat. After having a yummy lunch prepared by their aunt, they bade goodbye to her, and made their to the railway station with their cousin.

Mark saw to it they safely boarded the right train, and returned back. Harry was again there to pick them up. Soon, they were back in their living room, recounting their day's adventure to Ginny.

The rest of the holidays flew past in a blur. Albus and Rose had decided to be back at Hogwarts one day before the reopening date. Albus repacked his bag with some help from his mother. He made sure twice that James hadn't removed the Invisibility Cloak. He was determined to keep it with him.

When Albus finally entered the Gryffindor common room, there were barely half a dozen students. He made his way to his room. He found that none of the others had arrived. When he climbed into his bed, he found he had missed the castle a lot. He went into sleep never realizing he was about to be rudely awakened from his sleep in one hour and come face to face with Dark Magic for the first time in his life!!!


	11. Chapter 11

Albus was peacefully dreaming. He was playing Beater wearing Gryffindor robes, and he could actually see James's face watching him jealously. Gryffindor had won. They were celebrating in the Common Room. Albus was the hero. He was suddenly aware of a clicking sound that was quite distinct in his ears. It made him half-open his eyes reflexively. He actually could see the door opening a little with a creaking sound.

He reckoned it might be one of his dorm mates arriving late. But, to his utmost surprise and horror, he could make out the distinct outline of Scorpious! Albus immediately snapped his eyes shut. He couldn't explain why he reacted in such a way to himself. But later he was to realize that this was one action that had actually saved his life. Though he had his eyes shut, he could still feel Scorpious watching him intently. Then out of the blue, he felt a rush of wind meeting him head-on and the next instant, he lost all consciousness.

Someone was shaking him rather violently. 'Wake up, Al!'

It was really hard to make out the figure in front of him. But, Albus could recognize the voice of Rose. His eyes were feeling very heavy and he needed a superhuman effort for even opening his eyes a little.

After another fifteen minutes of more yelling and shaking from Rose, Albus could atlast open his eyes. He still felt drugged. But, atleast his mind was functioning again. And, the last night's events came to him in a rush. He felt that he ought to tell Rose everything. So, he recounted everything that he could remember to her. Rose's expression was answer enough to the shock she must have experienced. It took her a long while to finally mouth an intelligible word. She took charge immediately.

'You are sure you didn't imagine Scorpious and the spell that hit you?'

When Albus didn't say anything, she went on. 'Well, lets say for argument's sake it was definitely Scorpious and that he stunned you with a spell. Why would he do that? There must surely be an ironclad reason for taking such a risk.'

'Yeah, I agree. So, I say he must have been after something.'

'Look if something valuable is missing.'

The word valuable struck a chord in Albus. He leapt out of his bed and rummaged in his bag for his Invisibility Cloak. Just as he had feared, it was missing!

'Its not here,' he informed Rose, looking aghast.

Rose's features reflected the shock that was registered in his face. 'How did he know about the Cloak? And, more importantly, why did he need it so badly?'

'I never trusted him,' Albus said. 'He always seemed so queer.'

'Let's forget that, shall we. We need to find his motive first.'

'Umm, it's definitely something to give your life for, if you know its true value. But, the chance of him knowing about the _Deathly Hallows_ is zero.'

'His father knew about the Cloak. Maybe, he instructed his son to steal it from you.'

'That's a possibility. But if you ask me, that sounds too believable that it might not be true.'

'OK. What is your theory?'

'I reckon he started getting weird after our escapade in the Shrieking Shack.'

'I agree. And, remember the night you guys found him in the Forest in the Marauder's Map. That probably means more sinister.'

Suddenly, something clicked in place for Albus. 'Hey, remember what my dad told us. He had dropped the Resurrection Stone in the Forbidden Forest on the night he defeated the Dark Lord. I think Scorpious was looking for it.'

Rose clapped a hand to her mouth. 'Merlin's beard. I really think you might be right. What if he has already found it?'

'There is only one way to find it. We must watch the Map at night.'

'Let's do that tonight. What about the wand?'

Albus mulled over for a moment. 'To posses the Elder Wand, you first have to win a duel against my dad, or it won't give its allegiance to you.'

Rose looked visibly relieved. 'So, atleast the wand is safe.'

Another thought struck him. And, Albus suddenly felt cold. 'Rose,' he spluttered. 'Remember the dueling class dad came here for. It wouldn't have been difficult for Scorpious to cart off his partner to the Hospital and end up partnering dad. It might be so like dad to let Scorpious disarm him for the sake of encouraging him.'

'But, Uncle Harry didn't exactly lose his wand, did he? For the wand to change allegiance, you have to remove it from its previous owner magically.'

Albus started pacing around the room and pressed on. 'What if he achieved exactly that? Remember the attack on Diagon Alley. They didn't apprehend any suspects, did they? And more importantly, Olivander's was attacked. Get it, Rose?'

'Are you implying that Scorpious managed to duplicate Uncle Harry's wand?' Rose sounded incredulous.

'We are talking about _magic_ more powerful than we have encountered,' retorted Albus. 'And, I remember dad grumbling about his wand during Christmas.'

'But, how could he possibly know about the Deathly Hallows.' Rose was grasping at straws, refusing to accept it yet. 'Only our family knows it and everyone is sworn to secrecy. I don't think anyone would have spilled the beans.'

A memory of Rose lying unconscious in the Common Room swam before him. 'Damn. How could we have been so blind? You told him everything, Rose.'

'Wha-,' Rose started.

'In our potions class. Scorpious must have taken away your books. You hadn't forgotten them after all. And, he must have also stolen some Veritaserum from Professor Slughorn's store. Then, he must have followed you to our Common Room, Stunned you and forced you to reveal all the information he needed.' On seeing Rose still looked unbelieving, he added. 'Come on, Rose. It all fits. It seems to run in the family.'

'Well, I still remain convinced all this is too much Dark Magic for an eleven year old.'

'Hey, what if something had happened to him at the Shrieking Shack. It hasn't been out of bounds to everyone for any dumb reason. What if something possessed Scorpious when he went in? Is it possible to do so?'

Rose shuddered. 'Yeah. It is possible. But, it would require a very dark wizard to do that.'

'Will you believe me if I named one such wizard?' Albus asked quietly.

'You know a Dark Wizard?'

Albus drew a deep breath. 'Yeah. The darkest wizard that ever lived. I'm damn sure and ready to bet my life that Lord Voldemort is still alive.'


	12. Chapter 12

'You gotta be kidding,' Rose exclaimed. 'At the rate you are going, you belong in the Quibbler.'

Albus chose to ignore it. 'Hey, you were the one who said the charm cast by a person is removed once he dies. And here at Hogwarts, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is changing every year. Where does that lead us? Voldemort is still alive. He probably made another Horcrux before he came to duel dad. And, after he was overthrown, he was scared to come out into the open.' Albus paused to get some breath. 'So, he hid himself in the Shrieking Shack. No wonder everyone avoid that place still. They could feel something evil in there. When Scorpious was foolish enough to open it, he seized his chance and took control over Scorpious's body.'

When Albus started rummaging in his bag again, Rose enquired 'What are you searching for now?'

'Map. I want to check if the Death Wand is still in Professor Dumbledore's grave.'

'Al, but this is crazy.'

'I'm not stupid enough to split open and violate his tomb. I'm gonna check if the wand is still intact.'

'Do you know the spell for it?'

Albus felt the first genuine sign of interest from Rose. 'Yeah. James taught it to me. It's _Virganum Revelio_.'

'Why can't we just tell everything we know to Professor McGonagall?' Rose wanted to know.

'You didn't believe me till now. Well, I think you still don't believe me fully. How do you expect Professor McGonagall to believe this? Perhaps we could tell this to James when he comes tomorrow.'

'You are unbelievable, you are.' Rose said, shaking her head. 'You are ready to tell that madcap brother of yours, but you hesitate to tell Professor McGonagall. Anyway, when do you plan to check the tomb?'

'Well, it'll be dark in an hour or so. I'll check on the Map. When the coast is clear, we can go.' Albus glanced at Rose. 'You are coming along, aren't you?'

Rose nodded defiantly. 'Of course, I'm sticking with you.'

Exactly after an hour had passed, Albus checked on the Map. He couldn't see anyone in the school grounds. 'Shall we go?'

Rose nodded. 'I guess its not going to be easy without the Cloak.' Nevertheless, the two of them reached the tomb without encountering anyone who might start asking questions. The place was incredibly quiet and there was a definite aura around it, which made Albus a little guilty. But still, he reasoned with himself, this is for everyone's good.

He took his wand out, pointed it at the tomb and muttered '_Virganum Revelio._'

Albus held his breath hoping against hope that he'd experience a swooping sensation in his wand that would have been an indication that the wand was still safe inside. But to his horror, his worst fears were confirmed!

'Rose, he has already taken the Elder Wand. If he had already found the Resurrection Stone, something would have happened by now. So, my hunch is the Stone is still safe,' Albus said and added wistfully. 'How I wish we could find it somehow and keep it safe.'

Rose almost shouted. 'Nifflers!'

Albus stared blankly at her. 'What is that?'

Rose was now beside herself. 'Al, they are creatures that are attracted to shiny things, which make them wonderful for anything _golden_!' Albus caught with her. 'You mean the Resurrection Stone comes under the category of shiny stuff.'

'I am absolutely sure. And, there are two Nifflers near Hagrid's place. He found a Niffler lair twenty feet below a cave in the village.'

Albus beamed at Rose. 'What are we waiting for then? Come on. Let's go.'

The two of them sprinted to Hagrid's hut and found a Niffler tied to a post outside. They untied it making sure it didn't let out any sound in surprise. It didn't take them long to lead the Niffler away from Hagrid's hut. Once they were out of earshot, Albus asked. 'What do we do with this? Will it understand what we are searching for?'

'No. Let's allow it to roam about. It might find the Stone.' Saying so, Rose released the Niffler. It immediately jumped for Albus's wristwatch. 'Oh, come on, Al. Keep it inside.'

The Niffler happily bounded hither and thither. Albus surmised that it was definitely extremely sensitive and started wondering how this idea had actually seemed good to him initially. After nearly an hour of wild goose chase, Albus decided to call it quits. 'Rose, don't you think we've done enough searching? Let's tell this to someone else. We are venturing a little far into the Forbidden Forest. It is very dangerous.'

'Well, our Niffler is excited again. This is the last spot we check.' Rose promised.

'This was what you've been saying at the last ten spots,' Albus grunted.

Rose was already down on her knees and started digging with the Niffler. Albus was getting edgy. 'Rose, if indeed it is there, it won't be that deep down.'

'Well, there are lots of centaurs roaming over here right? They might have pushed it further into the ground.' Rose retorted and continued digging. Albus looked around the place. It was eerily silent. He turned in the direction of the castle. He could make out some bleak outline in the distance. He wished Rose would hurry up.

But suddenly, the silence of the night was shattered by a joyous shout from Rose. 'Al, come over here. I think this is it.' She held something in her hand and Albus moved his alighted wand near it. He was sure it was the Stone. It could sense the magic in it. He saw the pattern of the Deathly Hallows etched on its surface and took a deep breath.

The silent night was disturbed for a second time. 'Will you be kind enough to hand it over to me?' a cold voice whispered behind them.

* * * * * *

He was walking at a very fast pace. He needed to reach the Leaky Cauldron before it closed. He desperately needed news and somehow he convinced himself that the pub was the best place for it. Well, it was the only place where weirdoes like him would be tolerated. He once again thought of the decision he had taken. It had been a battle of wills. He didn't want the truth if it was bitter. But, there still was some chance he believed in. He saw a board that read 'Charing Cross Road'. The Leaky Cauldron was just adjacent to it. He fastened his steps. He knocked at the door, and a man in his forties opened the door.

'Are you the landlord?' he asked.

The man nodded not taking his eyes off the outrageously beautiful woman standing in front of him. 'What brings you here, ma'am?' he asked, showing dirty teeth.

He cast around for any question that might not arouse suspicion. 'Who is the Minister for Magic now?'

'Kingsley Shacklebolt,' the landlord answered looking puzzled. 'Where have you been all these years, lady?'

The words 'Kingsley Shacklebolt' were the only thing that registered on his ears. So, he thought joyously, he had been right after all. He brushed aside the startled landlord and walked into the chilly little courtyard. He went near a brick and tapped it with his wand. He wondered to himself how long the Polyjuice Potion would last. Not more than two hours, he reckoned. Still, he knew for sure that the landlord would have had him thrown out if he had asked help in his true form.

He decided to visit the library next. He needed to read as much of _Daily Prophet_s he possibly could. He drank in the sight of magic all around him. It was exhilarating. He walked along the Owl Emporium, Cauldron Shop and reached the library. He entered inside and asked the librarian for some copies of Daily Prophets. The librarian pointed to a battered looking rack. Even as he made his way to the rack, he could feel the librarian continuing to gawk at him.

He removed a huge stack of old newspapers and started skimming through them one by one. After a while, he decided that he had collected enough information. And, he wanted to be in a secluded when the Polyjuice Potion wore off. He found the ideal place for it. When he was back in his true form, he decided whether to visit Godric Hollow. He had read in the paper that the boy was living there. Hell, he thought to himself. He is not a boy anymore. He is living with his wife and three kids. He was a man now. There was a nagging doubt whether he would even be admitted inside their household. But, he couldn't think of any better place. So, drawing a deep breath, he apparated to Godric Hollow.


End file.
